End of the year round-up: was 2006 a good year or a bad year for you?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Given that we’re 25 days from the end of the year, I thought I’d start a thread asking Dopers to assess how 2006 has turned out for them. Include as many highlights – good and bad – as you feel you need to explain your choice.

I’ll start, of course.

First the bad:

  1. Mother died.
  2. Got arrested.
  3. Former fuck-buddy and current friend tested positive for HIV, requiring that I get tested too.
  4. Totalled 2 cars.
  5. As a result of crash #1, got a concussion which left me mentally altered enough that I spent 3 days in the local psych ward.
  6. Job was sent offshore.
  7. Because crash #2 happened so soon after crash #1 – i.e., before I had the title – it took forever to get the insurance settlement and thus a new car.
    Now the good:
  8. Arrest got tossed as soon as I showed up in court.
  9. Tested negative for HIV on both initial test and 6-month-followup.
  10. New (if embarrassingly young) girlfriend.
  11. Had fairly constant freelance writing work over the summer, especially good since I was confined to bus travel for 2 months.
  12. Signed contract with literary agent.
  13. New job, though paying no better than old job, is much less stressful and lets me work 4 days a week.
  14. Applied to participate in investigational trials for new diabetes medication but was turned down because my blood sugar control, even wthout the medicine, is so good that that the doctors felt I didn’t need medication right now and it would prove nothing if I took part in the trial and prospered.
    And the verdict:
    2006 was overall bad for Mr. Rhymer. Here’s hoping '07 has much less drama.
2

Overall, 2006 was nuetral for me.

My beloved father-in-law died, which has had a tremendous impact on my wife, our children and myself. He was an honorable, decent and generous man and very much like a father to me. So that overshadows the whole year, you know? Always, when I look back on 2006, that’s what will stand out.

On the bright side, I’ve got a new job making good money pretty close to home, before we went broke (we stupidly bought a second car & really can’t afford it) I did some improvements to my home so it’s looking very nice.

While we don’t have money for an extravagant XMas, we’re putting food on the table and paying the bills. The missus and I aren’t exchanging gifts this year but there’s plenty for the kids and that’s what counts.

3

Absolutely, the good wins out for me.

Bad:
My oldest daughter continues her bipolar, borderline-personality style hijinks.
I found out two weeks ago that my right kidney is shutting down.

Good:
Hubby’s new job, which he started November 29th 2005, continues to rock!
We now have kick-ass health insurance that will pay for me to have a nephrologist at Hopkins.
Same kick-ass insurance paid for weight-loss surgery that has allowed me, so far, to lose 95lbs.
We got a BMW.
We still, after 18 years, have an almost disgustingly happy marriage.
My other two daughters continue to blossom and do very well.
By the time this year is over, we will have spent Christmas in Williamsburg, VA.
Our two guinea pigs, two gerbils and one cat continue to thrive, and bring fur-covered happiness to my life.

2004 and 2005 were pretty rough for us, financially. The past year, though, has been overwhelmingly good.

4

2006 has been a good year, and it just got better ten minutes ago.

I have just been given job-for-life status at work. I’d been working without benefits or vacation for 5 1/2 years. The GM told me she had been trying to get my upgrade for four years now, and it finally came through. So on Monday, the new status takes effect, which means that I’ll get paid for the week we’re closed down over Xmas, and not be going without $600 over the holidays like past years.

Employment for both of us is great.
Marriage is still great.
Finances are good.
Car is still not having any problems.
Health is good. No problems.
I made a couple of good friends this year.
I was contacted by two old friends from childhood. While it may seem petty to say so, the fact is that I am doing much better than either of them.

I’d list something bad, but nothing bad happened to us in 2006. Or for the five previous years, either. As the kids say, woot!

5

Definitely good, tho not sure how it would show up on a balance sheet.
Essentially everyone in the family is doing well at things they enjoy, and there have been no unpleasant surprises. Let’s see:

Good:

  1. eldest daughter is doing great as college freshman, having a great time and doing well.
  2. son had a nice part in the school musical, doing well at his job.
  3. youngest is doing great at bassoon, and recently started piano.
  4. Kids are all getting excellent grades, which will maximize their future options.
  5. I played the best golf of my life this past summer.
  6. Everyone in the family seems to be in pretty good health.
  7. Job is secure. Got kinda screwed over last year concerning a possible promotion, but this year I have reconciled myself with staying in my current position for the foreseeable future - which ain’t half bad.
  8. Extended family is doing well. Fun to see the generations “turnover.” Many nieces and nephews are in college, and the eldest niece got married last summer.

Potentially bad:

  1. my one neighbor is even more of a shit than ever before, but we took steps to assess our specific legal rights, and are listing our house with an agent. Life is too short to willingly live next to assholes if you don’t need to.
  2. my wife decided to cut off all ties with her bigamist, pathologically lying, prejudiced, mysogynistic, incapable of loving father. Which causes her stress and makes for goofy dynamics, but is better than the stress and problems related to trying to have relations with him.
  3. At 9 1/2, my old dog is aging fast. But when you get a dog you expect/hope to outlive it.
  4. My arthritis hurts all the time, but I can stand it.
  5. My wife had some complications following a minor surgery, but has recovered well (but for an ugly scar she had not anticipated).

Life is good, and I only see it getting better!

6

Eh, I think I’m still on the “bad” end of the balance.

Bad:

  1. Uncle died, New Year’s Day.
  2. Beloved grandfather died, January 2.
  3. Close family friend diagnosed with lymphatic cancer.
  4. Uncle on other side of family (father of three teenagers) diagnosed with rare, aggressive brain tumor
  5. That uncle died, Friday
  6. Aunt died of lung cancer, lifelong smoker.

Good:

  1. Friend in #3 above apparently in complete remission
  2. Got sweet little kitty cat

I suspect it’s because I didn’t eat the lucky foods last New Year’s. It’s the only time I’ve ever weaseled out of the collards-and-pork-and-black eyed peas dinner with my folks. This year, nasty gross collard greens here I come!

7

2006:

The good:
1.) Finally moved out of my parents house. It was a perpetual ‘I’m gonna do it’ for a long time, but I was just really picky (didn’t want to risk it unless I was working full-time/maxing $XX,XXX/year, also wasted a lot of time waiting for my best friend to kick out his current roomate so I could move in with him (that never happened)

2.) Met my current girlfriend. Had a lot of misgivings; I met her at a point where I was getting sick of meeting people online, and kind of felt embarassed at telling people that I met my girlfriend over the internet. However, I got over it, and her and I are closer than ever. Unlike anybody else I’ve met, I can honestly say she is my best friend, and I feel we have great chemistry.

3.) I set up my friend with my girlfriend’s best friend, and now they are inseparable. We hang out on the weekends and give each other sex advice (yeah, we’re weird)

4.) Started working as a Substitute Teacher, a rather thankless job that has had its highs and lows. Right now I’m working with a great Government class while their teacher is on Maternity leave. I’ll get to stay there till the end of January.

Now the bad:

1.) 2 of my roomates are moving out. I’m rather bummed because they were great guys to live with, and I’m a little worried the next 2 roomates we get won’t be as nice/easy to deal with.

2.) Got medically disqualified to work for the Coast Guard. It happened at a point where I was trying to take a radical new direction in my life. It really seemed like a fun, yet very challenging and physically demanding job (was hoping to be a firefighter for the Coast Guard) so I was really disappointed about the outcome.

3.) Subbing is a total crapshoot when it comes to stress/workload and I’m realizing that I’m not gonna be able to get by working two jobs, sometimes 55 hours a week with no benefits from either job. I need to find something more permanent.

4.) Wasn’t able to get into the credential program (0.02 points shy of the minimum GPA requirement! :smack: ) but I can boost my GPA by taking extra classes. Problem is, I haven’t gotten around to it. My coworkers in my tutoring job are all grad students/credential program students, and it makes me feel like kind of a deadbeat/dummy.

5.) Right now I’m working 7 days a week. It isn’t a whole lot of hours on the weekend, but having no days off is definitely a drag. Between last Thanksgiving and Christmas day, I will have worked 29 consecutive days at the tutoring center. Do I get priority on days off in exchange? A promotion? A medal? Nope, I don’t get anything, nada, zilch. I’m trying to keep my atttitude realistic knowing that just because I work my ass off for them doesn’t mean they owe me anything. I do it because I want to/because I want to help kids (and pay my rent :stuck_out_tongue: )

8

The Good:
Graduated from college
Got a job that I enjoy
Bought a house
Proposed to my girlfriend (she accepted)
My fiancé got a great job and moved in with me
My fiancé had brain surgery that corrected a condition that could have killed her
The Bad
My mother lost her five year battle with cancer
My grandmother also died of cancer
My fiancé’s brain surgery resulted in the loss of all her peripheral vision on one side and she is now unable to drive
I had more good things than bad happen to me this year, but my mother dieing at 56 yrs old was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.

I don’t know, I think I’ll have to call it a draw.

9

Bad:
Husband out of work 99.5% of the year - causing us to fight 99.5% of the year (finances, etc.)
Son got hit by a car (not hurt badly but the driver’s insurance turned us down so I’m stuck with more bills).
Marriage may not survive point number one.

Good:
Son not hurt badly when hit by car.
Family (immediate and extended) are healthy.
Husband working at the moment so we can have a Christmas.

Eh - it was a year. Screw it.

10

Bad.

I thought about this thread back in February or March, when I was lying in the hospital, and figured that my post would start something like “the year started off shitty and then turned good”. Not so. Or maybe I’m just in a dark place today.

So: illness, surgery, ileostomy, more illness, more surgery, mother’s cancer, loneliness, loss of friends, persistent feelings that I’m wasting my life and my talents, some more illness, a lot more loneliness, depression.

I’m trying to think of something good to write. I know there are good things. I’ve had fun this year. I just spent a week in Paris and had a blast. 2006 wasn’t all bad. But I’m looking at some upbeat, positive posts I made in late 2005 and I wish I could find my way back to that place. It feels really, really distant.

11

You sound like Frodo, and not in a good way. :frowning:

Please remember that there is still wine and bread, still love and laughter, that the Shire is still green and there is much good still in the world. You will find healing in time.

12

I feel all years I end alive and healthy, with my other half by my side, and with people around me who love me, are good. So of course 2006 was good.

I came to some realizations about myself that were both good and not so good. Some hurt to know, some I was pleased to finally realize. But even the ones that hurt to know were good to know, if you understand me. At least I can get to work on those.

13

Bad: I had a lot of stress early in the year regarding certain friends, and I had to cut off most contact with them.
Good: It was the best thing I did for myself in a long time.

Bad: My apartment was broken into while I was asleep, and I woke up to find the intruder in my bedroom standing over me
Good: It got me out of my lease and into the best apartment ever. I love where I live now, and I love living on my own.

Bad: Debt sneaked up on me and I realized I owed a lot more than I thought with no way to pay it anytime soon.
Good: With a little help from my grandmother, and getting a second job, that debt is slowly becoming smaller.

Very recently, I gave an above-mentioned friend another chance. It didn’t work out and I had to cut him out again. That hurt, and it still hurts. But it was a good thing before, and it will be a good thing again.

The year has been a balance of good and bad, just like life. Overall it’s been good.

14

Hey, what about the most IMPORTANT thing – my promise to make you wife #2 once I am God-King? Huh? Huh?

15

It’s been a great year, even if I’ve had to work hard for a lot of the good parts.

Good:

  1. The long distance relationship between me and my boyfriend has only gotten stronger, with more and longer visits than we thought we could manage.
  2. I graduated from my medical technology program and I’m working in a hospital blood bank.
  3. I passed an exam that qualifies me to work in the States, and then I got a job offer in a hospital near my boyfriend.
  4. Health has been good for me and my family, with all of us growing up a little bit (in a good way).

So it’s been a very good year, with nothing really worth putting in the “bad” column. My sister moved to Vancouver, which makes me a little sad, but it’s a happy thing for her, so I can’t really count it.

16

Bad, very, very bad.

  1. Friend murdered.
  2. Dad with cancer, major surgeries, complications, more complications, possibly needing part of my liver.
  3. Aunt with terminal cancer - died a couple of weeks ago.
  4. Aunt had stroke.
  5. Mom bat-shit insane about above.
  6. Issues in relationship with boy - still unresolved.

Good.

  1. Get to keep my whole liver, which is good, 'cus I really need a drink.

Yah - I really can’t wait for this year to be over, 'cus it’s sucked monkey balls.

17

Skald, I am hurt that you have never once propositioned me. :smiley:

Aside from that, 2006 has been a good year.

Good:

Mr. Lissar got a new job with human hour and more pay
My BIL got married and my nephew was born
We started RCIA
Our marriage continues to be wonderful, and all our friends’ marriages are doing very well
My mother again failed to require hospitalization for mental illness

Bad:

My dad turned 75. I’m quite young, and I’m starting to think nervously about parental mortality
We continue to be poor, although less poor

Yes, it was a good year. A very good year. Probably the best year of our married life so far. That’s only one-quarter of the time we’ve been married, but it’s still good.

18

I shall correct that by the end of business tonight. You have my word as a narcissistic super-villain dedicated to overthrowing all legitimate governments, setting myself up as God-King, and spreading the reign of evil, terror, oppression, and deceit throughout the land.

19

Good:

  1. I got a paper published. As I don’t have as many as I should, this was a really big deal for me.
  2. I’ve got some good ideas for future papers I’d like to write.
  3. I got a promotion (job status changed from hourly to salary+benefits).
  4. I’ve developed some cool hobbies that I can never seem to pull myself away from.
  5. I’ve made a good friend at work.
  6. I’ve learned some marketable skills and made some significant contributions to the project I’m working on.
  7. Everyone I love seems to be doing well physically and financially.
  8. My cats love me.

Bad:

  1. The nagging self-doubt, low self-esteem, and intense self-loathing have only gotten worse, and they are threatening to sabotage my future as a productive adult.
  2. Related to the above, I haven’t been working on my papers like I should. I’m afraid my post-doc is going to end and I’m not going to have anything to show for it.
  3. Just a few months ago, a coworker was fired because he could not function normally around me. The stress of the drama was so overwhelming I considered quitting and going to a shrink.
  4. I feel more reclusive than I have ever felt in my life. I’m already getty ansy about the holidays–having to be around all those happy, very social people and having to pretend that I belong, that I don’t stick out like a sore thumb.
  5. The debt I’ve been trying to pay down for the past three years has not gone away. It hasn’t substantially increased, but it just will not disappear.
  6. Even though I’ll be glad when my contract is over, I’m not looking forwards to the job search that I’m facing in the coming months
20

Overall: Good. Very good.

The Bad:

  1. Relative committed suicide.

  2. Debt went up instead of down.

  3. Girlfriend and I had a… um, “scare” requiring two very depressing clinic visits.

  4. Rented two cars. Got in two accidents (no one hurt, but damn, what a PITA).

  5. Tigers lost the World Series.
    The Good:

  6. The freaking Tigers made the World Series!

  7. Girlfriend who was new on the scene at the start of the year now lives with me, and she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

  8. Awesome new apartment.

  9. Awesome new TV (see previous item on “Bad” list about more debt).

  10. Just got an awesome new job that I start in January; accepted it after weighing offers from two places – most people in my profession would be ecstatic over an offer from just one of them.

I haven’t had an all-out “bad” year in awhile, but 2005 was kind of just… there, ya know? So it’s nice to have a year really stand out.